Baidu Inc. (BIDU) Stock Falls Amid Market Uptick: What Investors Need to Know

Baidu Inc. (BIDU) closed the most recent trading day at $156.08, moving -3.32% from the previous trading session. This move lagged the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.5%. Meanwhile, the Dow gained 0.64%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, added 0.43%. The stock of web search company has risen by 29.36% in the past month, leading the Computer and Technology sector's loss of 0.15% and the S&P 500's gain of 0.18%.The investment community will be paying close attention to the earnings performance of Baidu Inc. in its upcoming release. The company is slated to reveal its earnings on February 26, 2026. In that report, analysts expect Baidu Inc. to post earnings of $1.47 per share. This would mark a year-over-year decline of 44.11%. In the meantime, our current consensus estimate forecasts the revenue to be $4.68 billion, indicating a 0.15% growth compared to the corresponding quarter of the prior year. BIDU's full-year Zacks Consensus Estimates are calling for earnings of $7.12 per share and revenue of $18.42 billion. These results would represent year-over-year changes of -32.38% and 0%, respectively. It is also important to note the recent changes to analyst estimates for Baidu Inc. These latest adjustments often mirror the shifting dynamics of short-term business patterns. As a result, upbeat changes in estimates indicate analysts' favorable outlook on the business health and profitability. Our research reveals that these estimate alterations are directly linked with the stock price performance in the near future. To take advantage of this, we've established the Zacks Rank, an exclusive model that considers these estimated changes and delivers an operational rating system. The Zacks Rank system, ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), possesses a remarkable history of outdoing, externally audited, with #1 stocks returning an average annual gain of +25% since 1988. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has witnessed a 0.92% decrease. At present, Baidu Inc. boasts a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). Digging into valuation, Baidu Inc. currently has a Forward P/E ratio of 16.91. For comparison, its industry has an average Forward P/E of 17.43, which means Baidu Inc. is trading at a discount to the group. The Internet - Services industry is part of the Computer and Technology sector. With its current Zacks Industry Rank of 95, this industry ranks in the top 39% of all industries, numbering over 250. The Zacks Industry Rank is ordered from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1. You can find more information on all of these metrics, and much more, on Zacks.com. Zacks Names #1 Semiconductor StockThis under-the-radar company specializes in semiconductor products that titans like NVIDIA don't build. It's uniquely positioned to take advantage of the next growth stage of this market. And it's just beginning to enter the spotlight, which is exactly where you want to be.With strong earnings growth and an expanding customer base, it's positioned to feed the rampant demand for Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Internet of Things. Global semiconductor manufacturing is projected to explode from $452 billion in 2021 to $971 billion by 2028.See This Stock Now for Free >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Baidu, Inc. (BIDU): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks